Mon Amour
by MidnightRaven323
Summary: 'There is no place for love in war' That was what she had said to the other girls, so why the hell was she falling for her arch-rival? JEANXOC I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN, ONLY MY OC
1. How It All Began

_**My first Shingeki No Kyojin fanfic ^-^ This was originally suppose to be a VERY long one shot that was made up of various scenes furing the story, but I ended up doing something more~ It's still the same idea, only longer.**_

_**This is completely Self-Beta'd, so forgive any mistakes I overlooked.**_

* * *

_**~ Mon Amour ~  
**_

_**Part One: How It All Began**_

* * *

"Jean, are you always an idiot, or just when I'm around?"

"Well I'm sorry princess, I'd like to see things from your point of view but I can't get my head that far up my ass."

"Aww, it's cute when you try to talk about things you don't understand."

"I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong."

"You know, I would slap you, but I'm not the slapping type and that would be animal abuse!"

"Fuckin' bitch!"

"Asshole!"

"You got a lot of nerve assuming things, Midget!"

"Oh shut up, you'll never ne the man your mother is!"

'_Maybe it was a bad idea to sit them on the same table. . ._' Marco thought sheepishly, eyeing the arguing pair with caution as they jumped to their feet. Amber clashed with blue-grey, electricity crackling between them as they engaged in a fierce stare down.

Not willing to back down, neither of the two noticed how close they had gotten trying to out-glare the other. Barely five inches separated them as they stepped away from the table and their friends.

They also failed notice that they had gained the attention of everyone in the mess hall. . .

. . .And that Sasha was slowly creeping up to them until it was too late.

"And KISS!"

_Confused? Let's go back to the beginning. . ._

_***First Day of Training***_

"You are now officially members of the training unit no. 104! Unfortunately for you, I, Keith Shardis, will be in charge. I'm not here to give you a warm welcome. All of you are now merely livestock, waiting to be eaten by Titans. You're even worse than livestock! For the next three years, I'll train you useless shits. I'll teach you how to fight the Titans! When you face a Titan in three years, will you still be just food? Will you become a glorious soldier to protect these walls? Or a mighty champion of Mankind who will destroy the Titans? The choice lies in your hands." Keith barked out.

Normal soldiers-to-be, heck, soldiers in general would have found Keith intimidating. He towered over the majority of the young trainees and seemed to be in his mid-50's, maybe early 60's with his bald head and wrinkled forehead, and the darkened skin around his eyes added to his age.

To Jean, the first thing he seemed to do was scare the living shit out of everyone. His first victim being a short, feminine blonde kid.

"You there!"

"Yes sir!" The blonde put his fist over his heart in salute.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Armin Arlert, sir! I'm from Shinganshina, Sir!"

"Sure you are! Good name for a retard. Your parents call you that?"

"My grandfather, Sir!"

"Arlart! Why are you here?" Keith shouted right in his face, mispronouncing his name.

"To contribute to Mankind's victory, Sir!"

"Fucking _splendid_! You'll make fine Titan food!"

Poor kid, he looked like he was about to piss himself any second now.

"Line three! About turn!" Keith roared ,turning Armin to face the opposite direction.

Keith's next victim was a tall blonde.

"And who the hell are you?"

"I'm Thomas Wagner, Sir! I'm from Trost, Sir!"

"Speak up!" Keith scolded.

"I'm Thomas Wagner, Si-"

"Can't hear you! Come back after your balls drop!"

"Yes sir!" Thomas responded, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

The next thing Keith did was make a girl with pig-tails shout out she was worse than pig shit and a tall guy with raven hair say that his body was worthless to humanity, Keith moved on to another victim.

This time it was a girl with copper hair in a spiky bun beside Jean.

"You! Berry head! Who the fuck are you?" Keith demanded, coming to a stop in front of the girl as she saluted him.

"Karine,sir! From Stohess, sir!" She said in a loud voice.

She kept a straight face as muffled snickers broke out amongst the Trainees.

Jean smirked. Stohess? No way in hell a pampered princess from the Interior would survive the next three years. The reason most even _joined_ was to be _IN_ those walls in the first place.

"Ohoho!" Keith grinned. "That's bullshit if I've ever heard it ! _Karine_ is it? What's your last name?"

"Dion, sir." Karine replied evenly, still looking straight ahead without flinching, though an irritable tick could barely be seen by her brow.

Keith's grin faltered a little, regarding her coolly. "One of Rafael's brats are ya? Looks like there's hope for you yet, princess."

Keith smirked, and then moved to face Jean next. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Jean Kirschtein, sir! I'm from Trost, sir!" he answered loudly,

"Why are you here?" Keith interrogated.

"To join the Military Police and live in the Interior, sir."

"Oh? So you wanna live in the Interior?" Keith asked, his voice laced with false innocence.

"Yes, sir!"

Karine snuck a sideways glance toward her fellow trainee. He stood still, remaining quiet with sweat beading on his forehead, awaiting a response from the head trainer. At least he was honest with his answer and spoke the truth, instead of making one up in an effort to make themselves seem more . . .Well. . _.More_.

What happened next she didn't expect.

In a flash, Keith head-butted Jean with enough force to send him on his knees and clutch his head in pain.

"You shitting down there? You think you can join the Military Police if you can't even take that?!"

Despite the fact that his head was pounding –he expected to have a concussion- Jean saw the corners of Karine's mouth twitch upwards to form the smallest of smiles like those of the other Trainees witnessing his humiliation.

'_Pfft, so my pain is their amusement huh?'_ he thought grimly, _'Brilliant.'_

* * *

"He's still making Potato Girl run." Marco stated, as he and a few others watched the brunette pass them again.

Ah Potato Girl, also known as Sasha Blaus. She was the girl who had been eating a boiled potato snatched from the kitchen during the Rite of Passage. She had been told to run until she couldn't run any more, but she was still going now, hours later. Though not being able to eat was getting to her.

Not to mention she was still in her uniform.

Karine pitied her, their uniforms were such a pain to take off, probably even more so when it was plastered to your skin with sweat. The rest of the Trainees were allowed to remove their uniforms and replace it with something more suited to them. She herself had changed into a loose black sleeveless shirt and slim grey pants, though the brown boots that were part of their uniform still stayed on her feet.

She pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on when she heard 'Shiganshina' be mentioned.

"This guy and I are from Shiganshina." Eren answered, placing a hand on Armin's shoulder.

"Then, weren't you there on that day?" Connie inquired excitement and curiosity clear in his voice.

"H-hey. . ." Marco tried to calm in and prevent further interrogation.

"Did you see the Colossal Titan?" Connie continued, paying no heed to Marco.

"Y-yeah. . ."

That conversation started outside transferred to the Mess Hall during dinner that night. During then, Trainee's clustered around Eren's table, adjacent to Karine's own.

Though he brushed it off as if it was nothing and answered questions without hesitation, there were clearly some memories that were best forgotten. But when the topic changed to Eren joining the Scouting Legion, things got a bit heated when an argument struck up between himself and Jean.

"Come on, you retard!" Jean called over to Eren, chin resting on his hand as he listened in. "Did you just say you wanted to join the Legion?"

"Yeah, I do," Eren replied, "Didn't you say you wanted to join the Military Police and take it easy?"

"I'm an honest man. You won't find me pretending to be the hero when in reality I'm pissing my pants."

This eventually built up to both boys going toe-to-toe, but a fight was thankfully saved when the bell rung, signalling the Trainees to hurry up and get to their cabins.

Eren scoffed and walked out.

"You know, there is this thing called being _too_ honest." Karine commented offhandedly, swinging her feet back and forth atop the table she had perched on.

Jean's eyes narrowed as he swung around to face her. "You're the one from earlier. Sorry, you say something, princess?"

Karine frowned," Who are you calling 'princess'?"

"You, unless there's someone else from the Interior who signed up for training."

She inclined her head to the side in thought. "Hmm, there was actually. Some other guy, but he dropped out earlier today."

"Tch, you're a real smartass, you know that?" Jean said in annoyance, rounding on the girl with his arms crossed.

"I know, and I don't care."

The other Trainees cleared out around about this point, not wanting to be caught up in the cross-fire.

Nothing but silence was heard as they sized each other up. Deciding that they stood on equal ground, they made proper introductions.

"Jean Kirschtein, from Trost."

"Karine Dion, from Stohess."

Hearing the dinging of the second warning bell, Karine got off the table as they made their way to the exit.

"What's the deal with you anyway?" Jean questioned, shoving his thumbs into his pockets, "Only an idiot would leave the Interior's sanctuary by their own free will."

"True," Karine shrugged," Unless you're from my family. We have a high standing within the military, and there is always one person from each generation that is part of the Military Police."

Jean watched her from the corner of his eye as they passed the buildings leading to the cabins. "Define '_high standing'_"

"My father is a high-ranking official, as his father was before him." Karine answered simply. "This is me," she stopped at one of the cabins, one with the number 15 on the door. "Trust me when I say; Fighting is in our blood."

Jean smirked. "We'll see, princess, we'll see," he said, continuing on his way to cabin 26.

"Oh, and Jean!"

He turned around to see Karine just at he top of the cabin stairs. "Yeah?" he called back.

"_Don't _call me princess," she warned, entering the cabin without a backwards glance.

"Whatever." Jean grinned.

Things just got a lot more interesting.

***Two Years After Enlistment***

"Too slow!" Keith barked, riding beside his charges on a horse while the Trainees ran in the rain, "What's wrong, Arlet? Is it too hard for you? Do you want to be the only one who puts down his equipment? If this was a real mission, you'd be titan food already."

He rode past Armin, finding someone else to pick on.

"Slow down, princess!" Keith shouted as one of the Trainees swung past overhead using their 3DMG. It had been two years, and the nickname had stuck. He received a dismissive "Whatever you say,sir" called back at him.

Keith inwardly began grading his charges, transferring his thoughts to a clipboard as he did so:

_Reiner Braun. He possesses great mental and physical fortitude, his comrades trust him deeply._

_Armin Arlet. What he lacks in physical strength, he makes up for with an extraordinary academic aptitude._

He caught sight of four Trainees arranged in pairs successfully attack a dummy Titan from the air. He took note of the first pair first.

_Annie Leonhardt. While her fighting skills are outstanding, she doesn't work well in a team. A lone wolf._

_Bertholdt Hoover. He is highly talented, but he lack initiative._

His eyes drifted to the other two.

_Jean Kirschtein. His 3D control skills are top class, but his overtly blunt personality causes friction._

_Karine Dion. One of the fastest and most agile Trainees yet, but this causes her physical strength and stamina to be lacking. In addition, she is far too reckless._

He changed position from his horse to one of the thick branches of a giant tree for a better view of the Trainees.

_Sasha Blaus. She's talented at operating unconventionally, but that makes her unfit for organized activity._

_Connie Springer. He's skilled at making sharp turns, but his mind is nowhere near sharp enough._

_Mikasa Ackerman. Her performance is exemplary in every subject. She is truly a genius of historically-unprecedented significance, _

_Eren Yeager. While he lacks any outstanding talents, he improved his grades through outstanding diligence. In addition, he possesses an exceptional sense of purpose._

He concluded his report with: _These soldiers may just be what humanity needs._

***Three Years Later/Five Years After Enlistment* **

"Come on, princess! That all you got?" Jean taunted, dodging another swipe from the wooden dagger in Karine's hands. "I know for a fact you have ZERO physical strength, but use that speed of yours to an advantage!"

Five years had passed since their recruitment; a lot had changed since then. They weren't the same snot-nosed brats they were when they were first terrorized by Keith.

Jean had grown taller, and more muscular, which had come from strength training and a lot of manual labour that came in the form of chores. His hair was still the same style as it was before; shaved on all sides but left spiky and left unshaven at the top. His amber eyes shone with glee as he continued to taunt rival (other than Eren of course.)

"What happened to '_Fighting is in our blood_ ', huh? It must have skipped you 'cause right now, it isn't in yours!"

Karine grit her teeth. Unlike Jean, she hadn't grown as much as she would have liked. Heck, she was the shortest girl there, only shorter than Annie by_ two centimetres_. (Yes, she had measured.) But what she lacked in height, she made up for in . . . _other _areas. It was embarrassing when she started developing earlier than the other girls. Her copper hair was still the same, with it always being in its permanent bun with her fringe and bangs framing her face.

He had to admit, teasing Karine was fun. She was an ice queen the majority of the time –not to the extent of Annie or Mikasa, but an ice queen none-the-less.

Annoyed at not being able to get a decent reaction out of the shorter girl, he resorted to the one thing he knew she would not be able to resist.

"Your brothers would be disappointed in you, don't even get me started on your father! Are you even trying,_ Strawberry_~?"

Though she had successfully been blocking out Jean's taunts for the past half-hour, that last jibe was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"OH THAT IS IT!" she hissed in fury. Dropping to the ground and swinging her legs around, she swept Jean's feet from under him and pounced, throwing down the wooden dagger they were sparring with.

Not expecting a swift attack like that, he was caught off guard and fell to the ground with hot-tempered female straddling him and aiming punches at his face. He brought up both of his hands to shield himself from the oncoming blows.

"_Vous baise jackass ! Vous n'avez pas juste mettre ma famille dans ce vous baise salaud! Et avez-vous simplement m'appeler une baise de fraises? Quoi? Baise princesse n'était pas suffisant, hein ?! Va te faire foutre, Jean!*"_

_**(Sorry if this makes absolutely no sense, I had used an online translator so please correct me if there's any mistakes *bows in apology*) **_

_*Translation: You fucking jackass! You did NOT just bring my family into this you fucking bastard! And did you just call me a fucking strawberry? What? Fucking princess wasn't enough, huh?! Fuck you, Jean!_

Karine swore viciously. He just _had_ to bring up her brothers, didn't he? Heh, she knew she'd regret telling him about the elder Dion children. The eldest - Lucas- was extremely laid back. He joined the Garrison despite being ranked 5th, so he wouldn't care. Then there was Matthieu, the prodigy of the family. He followed in Rafael's footsteps and joined the Military Police, insuring their family's social and political standing should anything happen to their father. He was alright, if not a bit uptight.

Not only tdid Jean bring up her family, but he just _had _to bring up her hair colour.

Jean grinned despite the state he was in, though there was part of him that didn't mind this position, not one bit. But damn was that girl well-endowed.

Stupid teenage hormones.

But he was prompted to take it a little bit further, "Mm, if you keep talkin' dirty babe . . . he trailed off, a shit-eating grin on his face as a Karine's cheeks reddened to the colour of her hair, despite her eyes promising pain if he didn't shut up.

Somehow, they ended up disregarding their sparring session and ended up wrestling instead, both fighting for the top. When this finished, they were both going to be sporting bruises.

"Damn bitch!" Jean growled.

Karine ended up on top again after a sneaky blow to Jean's stomach, her appearance a bit ruffled with dirt on her pants and hair falling out of its bun.

Wolf-whistles came from the sidelines as by now, more than half the Trainees came to investigate what the scuffle was all about and thankfully Keith was too busy scolding Sasha and Connie for acting stupid and trying to bust out kung-fu moves.

"_Aïe!_Ouch!" Jean winced, experiencing a hard blow to his face.

"Bastard!"

Thankfully, they were separated by their comrades; Reiner and Marco pulling Jean to his feet after Ymir and Krista pulled a still-furious Karine off him and restrained her.

"Hey!" Jean protested, feeling a sharp sting as Reiner slapped him upside the head.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" the taller blonde sighed, "Nice try though."

Jean merely narrowed his eyes at him, and then looked over to Karine still being restrained by her cabin mates.

"Ymir! Krista! Let me go!" Karine growled, ceasing her struggle and fixing the other girls with a cold glare.

Krista swallowed and let go, raising her hands in surrender. Ymir followed her lead, scoffing before muttering," You should be thankful Annie wandered off already."

Karine's eyes relaxed, but then widened at the thought of what could have happened if their other cabin mate had been around.

"Tch," she scoffed, kicking up some dirt.

"OI! GET BACK TO WORK YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BRATS!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

"Sasha just ripped a giant fart, sir."

"EH?" Sasha's jaw dropped.

"You again?" Keith covered his nose and left the building, "Learn some self-control!"

After blaming Sasha for farting in order to cover Eren and Jean's fight, thing went back to normal and everyone just went back to their conversations.

Or in this case, continued them.

"But it's true though" Jean insisted, "Those who join the Military police get to live a simple, comfortable life within the Interior, isn't that right Karine?" he said, kicking said girl beneath the table.

Eren rolled his eyes. "This again, Jean?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, this again. And it's pronounced _Jan_." Jean added.

"Well it's spelt _Jean_." Eren retorted.

"It's French!"

"Getting off topic, boys." Karine said in a bored voice, stirring around the left-over soup in her bowl with a spoon, "If it's a simple and comfortable life you want, then you should of just stayed in home."

"Are you serious?" Jean glared, "Do you even know what home for some of us is?!"

"No, I don't know and right now, I don't care." Karine said coldly, meeting his glare with a cool stare of her own," But whatever home is for the rest of you, it's got to be better than the cage of a district I live in."

"Probably just excuses. " Jean waved off.

"You honestly believe that you can call yourself a soldier if you're fighting to run away?"

"Considering that I went through all the training to be one, I'm pretty sure I can."

Karine sighed exasperatedly.

_Now you've caught up. . ._

"Jean are you always an idiot, or just when I'm around?"

"Well I'm sorry princess, I'd like to see things from your point of view but I can't get my head that far up my ass."

"Aww, it's cute when you try to talk about things you don't understand."

"I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong."

"You know, I would slap you, but I'm not the slapping type and that would be animal abuse!"

"Fuckin' bitch!"

"Asshole!"

"You got a lot of nerve assuming things, Midget!"

"Oh shut up, you'll never ne the man your mother is!"

'_Maybe it was a bad idea to sit them on the same table. . ._' Marco thought sheepishly, eyeing the arguing pair with caution as they jumped to their feet. Amber clashed with blue-grey, electricity crackling between them as they engaged in a fierce stare down.

Not willing to back down, neither of the two noticed how close they had gotten trying to out-glare the other. Barely five inches separated them as they stepped away from the table and their friends..

They also failed notice that they had gained the attention of everyone in the mess hall. . .

. . .And that Sasha was slowly creeping up to them until it was too late.

"And KISS!"

.

.

.

Jaws dropped all around the room as the well known rivals' lips met. The only exception was one widely grinning Sasha. Even Mikasa an Annie's poker faces slipped up after witnessing the impossible.

Jean Kirschtein.

And Karine Dion.

_Kissing_.

For awhile, neither had noticed what had happened. All they knew was that there was a nice, warm feeling blossoming in their chests. It was after Karine's hands rested on Jean's shoulders and one of his hands snaked up to her rest on her neck and the other on her hip that they came to their senses.

They pushed away from each other with a start.

Karine flushed brightly at the fact that everyone had witnessed that and brought a hand up to touch her lips. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to Sasha who was still grinning madly. Sasha gulped at the sight of Karine's her eyes promising pain should she pull something like this again.

Likewise, Jean blinked twice, as if to reassure himself he was in reality before closing his eyes and sighing. He took to steps toward the door, standing shoulder to shoulder to Karine before muttering, "We never speak of this again, agreed?"

"Agreed," she said in affirmative, not giving a backwards glance at Jean as he stalked out the front door while she herself exited out the back door.

". . . "

"Well," Connie began after the doors slammed shut," That was probably the most exciting thing that's ever happened at dinner."

Everyone else could only nod in agreement.

* * *

All the way to Graduation, Jean and Karine avoided each other like a plague. Jean spent more time with Marco then usual, even if it meant hanging out with Eren too. Karine would be with Annie or Ymir and Krista. No more random arguments, no more daily fights, heck, they tried not to be in the same room if they could help it.

In the end, only two hundred and nineteen Trainees had gone through to Graduation.

"Hands upon your hearts!"

"Yes, sir!"

"For you Trainees graduating today, three paths now open before you:

You can be stationed at the walls and defend the cities as members of the Garrison!  
You can put your lives on the line to fight the Titans on their own territory as members of the Scouting Legion!  
And you can serve the King by controlling the crowds and protecting order as members of the Military Police Brigade! "

The instructor continued on.

"Of course, only the ten people with top scores announced earlier will be allowed into the Military Police!"

Those said ten stood proudly at the front of the Trainees. Krista Lenz, Sasha Blous, Connie Springer, Marco Bolt, Jean Kirschtein, Eren Yeager, Annie Leonhardt, Bertholdt Hoover, Reiner Braun, and at the top of the class, Mikasa Ackerman.

* * *

"You don't seem disappointed, despite not making it into the Top 10."

Karine jerked in surprise, nearly falling off the rooftop she perched on. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the vey person she had been avoiding the past few weeks- hence sitting on the roof while the others celebrated their graduation.

"I don't care," she shrugged, "I mean really, 11th place is not bad at all. I'm actually quite pleased with myself."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jean trying not to slip on loose tiles as he sat down beside her. "Shouldn't you be with the others celebrating? Knowing you, you should be bragging about your score and going on and on about joining the Military Police, which I'm sure you still have your heart set on."

"Damn right." Jean grinned. "You won't see me risking my life anytime soon, not when it can be avoided."

"Blunt as ever I see."

Funny, it was like nothing happened between them. It was just like before.

"And what about you? Don't you want daddy-dearest to pull some strings and let you be part of the Police within the Interior?"

Karine couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Are you _serious_? Please, there's no way I'm gonna slack off and loose my hard-earned skills! No, unlike you, I'd rather be out _there_ – " she gestured to the Wall, "- risking my life and limbs then staying caged within the Inner Wall. Slaughtering Titans and using 3DMG to kill even more is_ way_ more fun than sitting around debating petty crimes any day of the week. It's the Scouting Legion for me."

Looking at her companion, she saw that Jean's face was void of emotion. She didn't like it, usually he was like an open book, an open picture book at that.

Jean sighed, his eyes drifting shut. When he reopened them, the emotionless mask was gone and the ever-present smirk on his lips was back. Karine couldn't help but remember how nice those lips had felt against her own, how well his two-toned hair suited him and– wait WHAT? Did she honestly just think about her archrival that way?

Well damn.

It was official, she was going insane. Maybe she drank something spiked, because there is no way she was being attracted to the biggest, most arrogant asshole known to Man and Titan.

Now that she thought about it, there were some girls including Krista, Ymir (only there because of Krista) and Sasha (who was only there because they had food) gossiping about the male trainees about a month ago. Reiner, Jean and Eren were amongst the most desired. Though they had ruled out Eren considering Mikasa was fiercely protective of him.

She distinctly remembered how she told Krista, Ymir and Sasha that _'There is no place for love in war.'_

What the hell, why was she remembering this NOW?

"You. . ." Jean began, shaking his head. "Are the most insane, reckless, infuriating, foul-mouthed and violent smartass I have ever met in all the years of my life."

Karine inclined her head, wondering if he was about to throw a tirade, she was confused when Jean just grinned wolfishly.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Come again? Did she just hear that right? Before she had anytime to dwell on it, she felt a light tug that slightly jerked her head back.

"Hm?" she asked quizzically.

"I just noticed, you had your hair down," he remarked, tugging at the copper tresses that now tumbled down her back. "Looks nice, Karine."

Her eyes widened a fraction. _Jean-fucking-Kirschtein_ just gave her a compliment, AND called her by her name. Not Princess, not Midget, not Shorty not Berry or god-forbid Strawberry, he actually called her Karine.

"Did you just call me Karine?" Karine inquired, discreetly pinching her arm to see if she was dreaming, only to feel a sting when she wasn't.

Jean cocked a brow. "It's your name isn't it?"

"Yeah well. . ." she trailed off.

For a while, they said nothing, just listening to the sounds of the night and revelling in each other's company without a fight breaking out.

"So this is it, isn't it?" Jean asked suddenly.

"This is what?"

"Our training is finished, we graduated and soon everyone will be going their own way, who knows when we'll be seeing anyone again. It's the end of the road for us, the 104th Trainees Squad. Our story's practically finished.

Karine's lips curved upwards into a smile.

"What are you talking about? This is just the Prologue . . . The real story is just beginning."

* * *

**How was it? Should I continue? Review to let me know your thoughts on this, I can only continue if I know that people are bothering to read this. If not, then I have other stories that have been update-less for the past year . . . **

**~MidnightRaven323**

**Review Questions:**

** Fave Scenes? **

** Anything you would like to happen in the next chapter?**


	2. First Blood

_**A/N Your wishes were my command~~~**_

_**Though I feel like the last chapter was better :(**_

_**Please excuse any mistakes, this was Self-Beta'ed**_

* * *

_**~Mon Amour~**_

_**Part Two: First Blood**_

* * *

"_I knew there was a reason I liked you."_

"Ugh, I'm sure he meant as a friend, just a comment. You're other-thinking this, Karine!" Karine grumbled to herself, burying her face into her pillow and making a mess of the sheets with her constant restless movement.

"I highly doubt that talking to your self is considered healthy." Annie stated, watching the copper-haired girl get flustered over a comment that could have two meanings.

"That statement is false," Karine retorted, laying on her stomach and looking at the blonde across the room. "Talking to your self is actually a sign of healthy mind and can benefit thinking and perception."

"So you say."

"So _Armin_ says!"

". . ."

Karine hated this. She felt so pathetic; she was Karine-fucking-Dion for crying out loud! What was she doing going crazy over something her arch-rival of all people said? Usually she would just wave it off and say 'Whatever' but now, she was actually being a girl.

She hated herself for it, but for once she would allow herself to have this minor breakdown.

"_Anniiieeee~ what do I dooo_?"

* * *

"Um. . .Guys. . .I borrowed some meat from the officers' morning rations."

"EH?!"

Sure enough, Sasha had stolen meat hidden behind her jacket.

"Sasha. . .You wanna get solitary confinement?" Eren exclaimed.

"You're a real idiot!"

"Real idiocy is scary. . ."

"Let's all split it up together later," Sasha said. There was a dazed look in her eye and her cheeks were flushed. "We'll slice it up and eat it with bread!" Her mouth watered at the thought.

"Meat is a luxury now that we've lost so much land!" Mina objected.

"Don't worry about it," Sasha waved off, hiding her stolen meat in one of the wooden crates beside the cannons they were stationed at. "Once we retake the land, we can keep pigs and cows again."

"I second that." Karine agreed, glancing around her fellow comrades. "You've got to be crazy to turn down meat during these times. Besides. . ." She winked. "We've got to keep up our energy levels to fight at our best, don't we?"

That was all the encouragement needed to make the others take up Sasha's offer. They would definitely have a feast later. Then suddenly, everything was thrown into chaos.

"TITAN!" Karine bellowed, hoping in vain that any other soldiers nearby would hear her, or at the very least notice the Titan's head peeking over the wall.

Or the fact that the Gate had been breached.

Already she and the others she had been with were hanging vertically against Wall Rose. And Samuel would have definitely plunged to his death off the 50m drop that awaited him had Sasha not come to his rescue.

Gazing up at the monstrous figure, she could hear her heart pounding in her chest. She'd heard stories of Titans before, of course, but she had never imagined they'd encounter one so soon after their Graduation.

Eren's voice pierced her thoughts as he began shouting orders.

"Prepare for battle! The target's right in front of us! It's the Colossal Titan!" Eren shouted at them. "This is our chance! Don't let it slip away!"

The Titan vanished as quickly as it come, leaving an angered Eren and confused Karine in its wake. The Initial Response team had taken over and evacuation of Trost began, with its citizens thrown into a panic.

"Yesterday you were but cadets. But today, you graduates are true soldiers!" One of their trainers told them. "I'm expecting great things from you!"

* * *

"Split up into teams, just as in training! Under the Garrison's command, you will form supply and information routes as you mop up any Titans you encounter! The Garrison's Intercept Squad will form the vanguard. The Cadets will function as the middle guard under our command. And the Garrison's elite will form the rear guard!" The Squad Leader instructed them. "According to the information we've received, the Initial Response team has been wiped out! They let the Titans break through their defenses and get into the town! In other words, as things stand the Armored Titan could show up at any time and destroy the inner wall!

More than a few gasps and mutters broke out amongst the Cadets.

Jean's jaw dropped for only a moment, before his mouth set into a hard line and his expression became grim. He could feel Karine's eyes on him, showing worry. She knew, from the events of their first day, that he hailed from Trost. He paid her no mind and instead, listened to their orders.

"Attention! The vanguard is intercepting the Titans at this moment. This defense mission has only one goal: To protect Wall Rose until the civilians have evacuated!" The Squad Leader continued. "Also, as I'm sure you're all aware of by now, fleeing from an enemy carries the death penalty! Keep that in mind as you offer up your lives! Dismissed!"

"YESSIR!"

"Why today, of all days?" Jean lamented after they were dismissed. "I would've left for the Interior tomorrow!"

He looked over as the sound of someone retching reached his ears. Krista was doing her best to help Daz, who was losing everything he had ate that day.

He scoffed and stormed past other Cadets that were in denial over the recent events before running into none other than Eren.

This was just bullshit, Life really did enjoy screwing him over.

Meanwhile, Karine was running about frantically. She moved past other Cadets, their familiar faces streaked with tears, past her friends, arranging themselves into teams, and past Garrison members, making final preparations.

Yet not once did she so much as catch sight of the one person she was desperately trying to find.

"Oi! What are you doing?" Jean yanking her over by the arm to where he stood with Marco and Daz.

"My brother!" She explained. "I haven't seen him, I thought he would be here."

Jean frowned. He was unused to seeing the copper-haired girl in such a state. She never showed her inner turmoil, like, ever.

"Then he's either with the Garrison's Elite at the rear guard or stationed on the other side of Wall Sina's Gate," he consoled, pushing aside his own distress. "But now, we have to focus on our own orders. Relax, princess."

Karine exhaled slowly and nodded, accepting the possibilities and pulling her arm from Jean's grasp.

"Karine!"

Karine looked towards where her name was called. She was surprised when Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt were the ones approaching. Of course, she should have recognized that monotonous voice of the blonde anywhere.

"You will be in our squad," Annie said, standing with a hand on her hip. "We're a person short."

Karine nodded, moving towards the trio, but then she turned back towards Jean.

"You better not die . . . Bastard."

* * *

"Kill count," Reiner announced as their squad paused atop one of the larger rooftops of Trost. Other squads were present as well, but they all looked so defeated.

"I had the 6 meter class, the 8 meter and the 5 meter. Bertholdt took care of the other 8 meter, a 4 meter and another 5 meter. Annie ended the second 7 meter, a 5 meter, and a 6 meter. And Karine finished off the 3 meter, another 6 meter, and a 4 meter. And together, the four of us took care of two Abnormals."

"We have killed fourteen Titans between the four of us," Annie concluded. "With three each, and the additional two Abnormals. Not bad at all."

Karine could barely hear them. She could still hear screams in her head; they had been going off the entire time they had been fighting. She didn't know how much time had passed, none of them did. Hours had passed by now, surely, as the citizens were evacuated. Time was a blur; the only thing clear was their duty to kill.

She glanced down at her hands. They were shaking. Drops of Titan blood spilled by her own hands were still steaming, despite the rain that had been pouring down only a few minutes ago.

Even the heavens wept for the lives lost and sacrificed, but for now, the rain had stopped.

"What now, Reiner?" Annie asked, looking up at the taller blond out of the corner of her eye.

Karine looked at him also; she wanted to hear his answer as well.

"Nothing yet. We must group up first," he said.

"It's over." Marco spoke up, yet he sounded so hollow. As if he was already dead inside. "No matter what we do, we'll be dead before we make it out of here. I mean, I'm prepared to die . . . But what exactly am I going to die for?"

Karine grew angry at his words. She walked up to him and was about to slap him, but someone approaching made her freeze in mid-slap. "Mikasa! Weren't you with the rear guard?"

"Annie!" Mikasa called out as she ran up to their squad. "I think I understand the situation. And I apologize for bothering you, but have you seen Eren's unit?"

"No, and I haven't seen anyone climb the Wall either," she answered, looking away.

"Karine, do you know anything?" Mikasa asked concernedly, desperate for any small bit of information about her charge's whereabouts.

"I know nothing," she said apologetically. _'Though I do have a hunch. . .'_ she thought, seeing the state Armin was in.

"Armin's over there though." Reiner jerked his thumb towards said blond.

The squads followed her as she darted over towards Armin. They could only gape in disbelief as Armin told them the grave news.

The 34th unit was nearly wiped out.

Armin had been the only survivor.

"If I can't, I'll die. But if I win, I'll live. If I don't fight, I can't win."

Those were Mikasa's final words before she took off to fight against Titans once more.

"Hey!" Jean called out to the others. "Were we trained to let our comrades fight alone?! At this rate, we're going to turn out to be spineless cowards!" And with that, he took off after Mikasa.

"I'm surprised I heard him of all people say that." Reiner commented.

Karine grinned at her comrades, a frightening gleam in her eye. "Well? What are we waiting for?"

* * *

'_How many of us made it?'_ Jean wondered, seeing the number that now stood within the HQ. His heart grew heavy and he began to second guess himself. _'Using the deaths of our comrades . . . How many died on my command?_

Feeling eyes watching him, he turned his head and saw two cadets huddled under a desk beside him.

"You're part of the supply squad, aren't you?!" Without waiting for an answer he grabbed one from underneath the desk and struck him, the punch sending the cadet reeling to the floor.

"Stop it, Jean!" Marco shouted, holding him back to refrain him from hitting the cadet again.

"These bastards abandoned us!" He fumed. "Do you even have a clue how many died?!" he shouted at the cadet.

"The Titans invaded the supply depot!" The other supply squad member exclaimed, coming to the aid of her comrade. One side of her face was covered in blood. "What could we have done?!"

"It's your _job_ to figure something out!"

"Jean, stop it!" Karine jumped to Marco's aid, standing in front of the enraged boy and shielding the two supply squad members. Jean was shocked into silence as a sharp sting made itself known to his cheek.

She had slapped him. Hard.

"They were overrun! What would you have done in their place?!" Karine demanded.

Jean had no time to answer, as Reiner had shouted out a warning.

"Take cover!"

Everyone was thrown to the floor as the impact of the Titan made the building quake.

"Damnit!" Jean swore as he saw the head of titan peeking through the whole it made. _'There are too many people gathered here!'_

Panic and chaos came over the cadets, some scrambling to get further back into the Head Quarters, others already fleeing for their lives.

Karine struggled against the force of the cadets trying to get through the door. The second Reiner shouted for everyone to take cover, she ducked under the desk that the two supply squad members originally occupied. But now she could see that Jean was still frozen in place, staring straight at the two Titans peeking their heads through.

"What are you doing? Don't just stand there!" She shouted, tugging at his arm.

Just then, a giant fist slammed into the side of one of Titan's face.

"What . . . Is that?" Jean asked, seeing another Titan appeared. Except . . . This one was different, it was fighting against the other Titans.

"An. . .Abnormal?" Karine guessed, her grip on his arm growing lax.

With the arrival of the new Titan came three more cadets crashing through the window.

"Mikasa, Connie, Armin!" Karine said in surprise.

They had made it.

"We did it! We just barely made it!" Connie exclaimed, tapping his now-empty fuel canister.

"You're . . . All alive?" Jean asked in equal shock.

"Everyone! That Titan's an abnormality that slaughters other Titans!" Connie informed them, jabbing a finger at said Titan. "It's not even interested in attacking humans! If we play our cards right, we can all get outta here alive!"

And so they did. Using the Abnormal Titan as a distraction, they commandeered the lift to reach the gas supply room on the ground floor.

"We found some!" Jean announced as he and four others brought in cases of old firearms. "They're Military Police supplies, though they are covered in dust. . ." He brought out one of the guns and observed it with a critical eye. "Will three bullets be enough? Do these guns even work against the Titans in the first place?"

"They do." Karine answered, another gun in hand as they crouched down, waiting for Armin to lay out the plan. "Assuming hit a weak spot, though they are old. . ."

"It's better than nothing." Armin said. He then layed out their plan of action to take out the seven 3-4 meter Titans currently infesting the supply room.

By using the guns to blind the Titans, the most physically capable soldiers would leap down from the rafters and dispatch all the Titans simultaneously.

And so it was decided; Mikasa, Sasha, Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt, Jean and Connie would be the ones to strike down the Titans.

Meanwhile, Marco, Karine and Armin would lead the ones being lowered by the lift to blind the Titans.

"Follow the plan! Marco hissed as one of their targets came into view.

"And keep both eyes open." Karine added." You'll be more likely to hit your mark."

One of the Cadets began to freak as the Titan turned towards them.

"Calm down! Lure them in closer!" Marco barked at him. "Hold!" He said as the Titan began to move closer and more approached.

Cold sweat broke out on the Trainees' foreheads as their targets moved in ever closer.

"Ready!" Marco said, moving his finger to the trigger. "On Karine's signal. . ."

Karine kept her eyes trained on her target: The eye of the Titan directly in front of her. She breathed in and out slowly, keeping her arm steady. When the Titans were in point-blank range she finally called "Fire!"

A devastating volley of gunfire was delivered straight into the eyes of the Titans. At that moment, Mikasa, Sasha, Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt, Jean and Connie leapt from the rafters to kill their designated Titan. However, Sasha and Connie failed to do so, but Mikasa and Annie came to their rescue.

"We got them all! Everyone stock up on supplies!" Jean called up to those on the lift.

"Hell yeah!"Armin cheered.

"Easy there, Marco!" Karine said, catching Marco before he hit the ground as he fainted.

After everyone had refuelled, they headed out of HQ and back into the world.

"Go, go, go! We need to meet up with the main units!"

* * *

"Looks like it burnt itself out." Jean commented, seeing their Titan distraction fall. "Whatever. Let's get going!" He began to turn away. "There's no way that monster's on our side! Titans are Titans."

A hand on his arm stopped him from leaving further.

He looked questioningly at Karine, but the girl's eyes were still on the fallen Titan. "What is it?"

"Look closer." Was all she said.

It was Eren. The same Eren they had thought to be dead.

He was unconscious, but alive. Mikasa quickly went to him. She embraced him, still in shock at the turn out of things, and then listens for a heartbeat. As she heard proof that Eren really was alive, tears began to spill from her eyes.

Armin and Jean went down to them, helping Mikasa bring the unconscious Eren to the top of the supply HQ where Karine, Annie, Bertholdt and Reiner still were.

"Y-you realize what this means, don't you? Karine said quietly." If Eren was the Titan all along. . ."

Jean turned around and observed the vanishing corpses of the Titans. "Then Eren. . .Did all of this?"

* * *

". . . and then we managed to refuel, and escape from Trost." Connie finished explaining their escape to Ymir, Krista, and other soldiers. Now they were within Wall Rose, and relatively safe.

"So that's what happened." Krista said, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry. I requested supply delivery for you multiple times."

"We'd even gotten our hands on gas and all." Ymir added.

"S-so that means. . .The people who aren't here . . ." Krista trailed off.

"Yeah."

"Even that Mikasa?" Ymir asked in disbelief.

"N-nah." Connie answered. "I thought Mikasa'd come here later with Jean and the others. " He inclined his head towards the table where five people who arrived later sat around.

"Jean!" Ymir called. "Don't tell me Mikasa actually got hurt?"

Her question was met with silence.

"Hey? What's wrong?" Connie asked.

Jean barely spared them a glance before taking a drink out of his waterskin. "They gave us a gag order. We can't tell you."

"A gag order?"

"What the heck?"

"That said, it's not like they can hide it forever." Jean continued. "All Mankind will hear about it soon enough . . . Assuming Mankind survives that long."

"Jean." Karine said warningly.

Jean glanced at her, about to say something else, but then thought better of it and stayed silent.

"Eh? Karine, you don't even seem bothered about what happened to Mikasa and the others." Ymir said, eyeing the girl who was simply leaning back against the table with her eyes fixed on the ground.

She was about to respond, but Connie beat her to it.

"Ooh, I know what she's gonna say. She's gonna say _'That's because I don't know, and I don't care.'_ A typical Karine answer!" Connie said helpfully, already in a lighter mood.

Karine smiled at him in response. "Half true. I do know, but I don't care. Mikasa and the others can take care of themselves; I'm not worried about them."

"_Ma petite_, is that you?"

Karine's head jerked up and her gaze was drawn to an approaching Garrison soldier who seemed to be in his mid-20's with a bottle of alcohol in hand. He stood at average height, with grey eyes and lightly tanned skin. His shaggy hair was light-brown hair had a slight copper hue.

"Who are you calling 'little girl'? " Karine asked before pushing herself of the table and into the soldier's open arms. "Lucas, Thank god you're alive!" she exclaimed. "I was looking for you earlier. . ."

"You're right, not so little anymore. . .You still had me worried." Lucas said, patting her head lightly. "Those that had survived said many of the corpses they had seen wore the badgeof the Cadets."

Karine scoffed, but then pushed away when she felt her hair tie being pulled from her hair. "Hey!" she exclaimed, trying to get it back as her older brother held it above his head. "That's not fair!" After a few more failed attempts and snickers being heard from her friends, she instead opted to snatch the bottle out of his other hand instead.

This time, it was Lucas's turn to protest as his sister turned on her heel and went back to the other cadets, unbound hair swinging behind her.

Karine sat down at the table after promptly telling Jean to move over, to which the he begrudgingly complied to. She eyed the remaining liquid in the tinted, half-empty glass bottle, before taking a sniff of its contents. "Isn't it a bit too early to drink?" She questioned. After all, the sun was still high in the sky, but judging from his slightly glazed look, he was pleasantly buzzed.

"That's my celebration drink." He shrugged, crossing his arms as he stood in front of the table, ignoring the other Cadets.

"Though I'm happy you're alive, I deserve to celebrate more than you." Karine stated, taking a swig of the bottle. It was true; she survived her first encounter with the Titans. She licked her lips afterward, her brows furrowing as she looked at the bottle's label. "Isn't this the 15-year old scotch Papa kept in the cellar?!"

"Swap?" Lucas asked innocently, avoiding the question and offering Karine's hair-tie back to her. Damnit, he'd been waiting for just the right time to open that bottle!

"No, this is good stuff," she downed more of the bottle's contents.

"You're too young to drink!

"That didn't stop you from spiking my juice when I was 11! Consider this payback."

By now, Reiner, Jean, Ymir and Connie had small smiled on their faces, despite recent events. It was amusing seeing the usually dismissive girl let loose and act almost childishly for once.

"Karine Estella Dion, do you _want_ me to send a letter to Mama saying who it really was who broke her antique vase?" He held his hand out expectantly.

Karine scowled at him, knowing he was serious with the use of her full name. She reluctantly handed over the bottle.

Lucas smirked in victory as he reclaimed his prize.

An explosion in the distance caught everyone's attention as smoke began to rise. For a few minutes, they could only stare at the smoke column, wondering what had caused it.

"Sir!" A Garrison soldier ran up to Lucas, saluting him before continuing his message. "We have a situation, and your presence has been requested."

Lucas's eyes narrowed and his lips pressed into a hard line. "Then I must not delay." He turned back to the Cadets. "Hold your heads up high, you survived an ordeal where many experienced soldiers didn't. You should be proud of yourselves. And Karine, watch your back."

After, clapping his sister's shoulder, he walked away, downing the remaining contents of his bottle as he did so. He left the cadets pondering his words for a while after his absence.

The light-hearted mood brought by the bantering siblings and Lucas's words of praise disseminated as soon as Daz made an attempt on his own life. Once again, they were overcome by the grim mood.

"I can see why they needed to put out that gag order." Jean said quietly, so only those that witnessed Eren's reappearance could hear. "Just look at the state they're in." _'If they found about Eren too. . .'_

"You worry too much. . ." Karine sighed.

_BTOOM _

". . . Or maybe not enough."

"Cannon fire?" Reiner questioned as they all jumped to their feet and ran into the street to investigate the sound.

"Why'd they fire just one shot?" Jean questioned.

"Hey, look at the smoke!" One of the nearby soldiers shouted, pointing at the rising smoke. "It's _inside _the wall!"

"No way!" Jean exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hey!" Karine called after Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie as they took off towards the smoke.

Not willing to be left behind, she and Jean swiftly followed.

* * *

"Are we really going to do this?"Jean sighed, preparing himself to retake his home town. His childhood was far from the best, in fact, it was practically shit. Nonetheless, this was where he was born and raised, and he would fight until his dying breath to protect it . . . And those soldiers within it.

He received nods from his fellow cadets in response. Still, there were some soldiers from the Garrison who where in doubt of the plan and afraid of what was to come. Their mutters could be heard even by the cadets.

"I wish everyone would kindly _shut the fuck up_." Karine hissed, drawing looks her way. "What good will complaining do? You signed up for this knowing every moment could be your last. Take a good look around, all of you! Remember the faces around you now, because not all of them will still be standing by the end of the day."

Her friends nodded. Her words held truth, that much was clear. They wished each other good luck, some *cough Sasha cough* shed tears (But only because she didn't eat anything the whole day, though she shut up when Krista gave her some bread.) and other simply smiled in acceptance.

Jean looked up at the sky, tinged pink but the setting sun. "It's a good day to die, but I don't plan on dying just yet."

* * *

They did it. They won against the Titans, but the price paid was too high to celebrate, as Jean was about to find out . . .

In the Aftermath of the battle, he walked through the streets of Trost, going through the corpses. Much to his shock, the body of his best friend was among them.

"Hey. . .You're. . .Marco. . .?" He couldn't believe it, he couldn't be sure though. . .It was only half a corpse. But still, that didn't stop him from trembling. Deep down, he knew that it was Marco.

"Trainee," a woman with a clipboard in hand approached him. "Do you know his name?"

"I knew I hadn't seen seen him around. . ." Jean said softly, still in disbelief. "But this couldn't have happened to him. . . Marco, what happened?" He knew he would receive no answer from the corpse, but he asked anyway. Someone should of seen how he died, with that thought in mind, Jean began to walk away.

"What's his name?" The woman asked again, a tad more impatiently. "If you know, tell me now."

He looked back at the woman.

"Do you understand, Trainee? It's already been two days since the hole was sealed. And we still haven't finished collecting the bodies. At this rate, there could be an epidemic. We must avert a second tragedy. There isn't time to mourn your friend yet. Understand?"

". . . 104th Trainee Corps. Captain of Squad 19, Marco Bodt."

* * *

"Thank God, you're alive!" Karine exclaimed. "What the fuck happened?"

"Language," Lucas admonished, lowering himself down on a nearby bench, gritting his teeth as a wave of pain ran up his body. His torso and left arm were heavily bandaged, suffering heavy bruising, multiple minor wounds and a fractured arm. "The Titans happened, that's what. 10 meter class swatted me away and into a house while we were protecting that Titan friend of yours."

"You were with the Elites?!"

"_Ma petite_, I _am_ an Elite. Honestly, you wound me more than that Titan did."

". . . I'm your sister, it's my job to torment you."

* * *

They stood silently, some shedding tears as they watched the flames devour what was left of their comrades. As they burned, the only light came from the flickering flames.

'_Everyone's regretting it,_' Jean thought, observing the solemn faces of his comrades that were still alive. '_If I'd known it'd be this hellish, I'd never have chosen to be a soldier. Now that I'm exhausted, it's all I can think about . . .'_

With that in mind, he strode towards the fires, crouching down to gather a small bit of charred bone in his hand. Looking at it, he directed his thoughts to his best friend that was no longer by his side. _'Hey, Marco. . .I can't even tell which are your bones anymore. If I hadn't become a shoulder, I wouldn't have to think about who'll be on that pile next. I know we have to fight. . .But not everyone is as eager to die as you_.'

He turned his head to the side when he heard footsteps approaching, his eyes widened when he saw Marco's form. His spirit, at least. He then remembered the words he had told him before:

'_I hope you won't get mad when I say this . . . But you aren't a strong person. So you can relate to how the weak feel. In addition you excel in sizing up any situation. Isn't that why you immediately know what should be done?'_

With those words echoing in his head he crushed the bone in his hand. Only when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder did he get up. He knew it was Karine, that bitch was the only one with the audacity to approach him when he was in one of his moods. Still, her comfort was welcome. He sighed, wrapping an arm around the smaller girl's waist. "_Merci beaucoup_." He said softly, so softly only she could here. "I know what I have to do now."

Karine only hummed in acknowledgement, not protesting as he brought her closer to his side. She didn't know Marco as well as Jean did, so she didn't know the pain he felt, but still, she could relate to some extent.

"Hey, guys. . ."

Sasha, Krista, and Ymir were startled out of their thoughts by Jean's voice.

"Have you decided which one you're joining?" They knew he was referring to which branch they would join. "I have."

Connie looked up at him through his tears.

"I. . .I. . ." Jean struggled to come to terms with his decision. A nudge from Karine prompted him to continue whatever he was going to say. "I'm joining the Scouting Legion!"

* * *

By the time the Induction Ceremony rolled around, only a few were crazy or brave enough to join the Scouting Legion, those that did still pondered that decision.

Connie, Sasha, Armin and Annie were standing by a wall when another figure approached them.

"Jean. . .You're really joining the Scouting Legion?" Armin questioned as soon as he caught sight of the brunet.

"Why, all of a sudden?" Sasha inquired. "I mean . . .Aren't you scared?"

"Huh?" Jean inclined his head slightly. "Of course I don't want to join the Scouting Legion."

"Th-then why. . ." Connie trailed off.

"It isn't that I decided Titan's don't scare me." Jean explained. "And I won't say something like 'The best should join the Scouting Legion.' I'm not as eager to die as some."

"Then please make up your mind."

The five of them to see Karine coming closer. When she topped, she placed a hand on her hip. "You're confusing all of us," she sighed. "And here I thought you had a change of heart. . ."

Sasha looked between the two between whispering to the other three. "Is it wrong that I really want them to kiss again?"

Connie shook shook his head, Armin flushed red and Annie merely hummed in response.

"Trainee's, line up!" They heard a soldier shout. "Line up before the stage!"

"I'm not risking my life because someone convinced me," Jean explained further, shaking his head at Karine. "This is a job you can't do unless you decide for yourself."

Later on, after the sun had set, Commander Erwin Smith stood before them.

"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Scouting Legion." The Commander began. "Today, you will choose a military branch. Put bluntly, I'm here to persuade you to join the Scouting Legion. During the Titan attack, you learned how terrifying they could be. And how limited your own power is. However, this battle brought humanity closer to victory than it's ever been through Eren Yeager's existence. By risking his own life, he's proven himself, without doubt, a friend to humanity. With his help, not only did we stop the Titans' advance, but we have a way to discover their true nature."

This revelation was met with gasps.

"We believe that in the basement of his Shiganshina home, there are answers about the Titans that he himself doesn't have. If we can reach that basement, we will find a clue that will end this century of Titan rule. We will head for the basement in Shiganshina. However, that requires us to retake Wall Maria. In other words, our objective hasn't changed."

With the help of a soldier, he showed them the basic layout of all three walls. A red X was marked over the Trost district.

"But with the Trost Gate sealed, we'll have to take the long way around, from Karanes to the east." Erwin turned back to the trainees. "The four years we spent laying a route for a large army have gone to waste. In those four years, more than sixty percent of the Scouting Legion lost their lives. Sixty percent in four years . . . An insane figure. Any Trainees who join will participate in our excursion beyond the walls, in a month. We expect thirty percent won't return. In four years, most will be dead. But, those who return will become superior soldiers with a high survival rate. Knowing these discouraging facts, any still willing to risk their lives, remain here. Ask yourself . . . Are you willing to offer your beating heart for humanity? That is all. Anyone who wishes to join another branch is dismissed."

It was a weighty decision; Karine knew that if she chose to follow through with her original decision, it would greatly impact her life from this point on. Not to mention what her father would say. Rafael could send his sons into danger, but never his daughters. For that sole reason, Karine's little sister, Nina, the runt of their family, would never experience the military lifestyle.

Jean was at conflict with himself, his doubts growing ever larger as more and more of the trainees walked away without looking back. '_Damn it. . .Come on! You've already decided!' _He thought to himself. _'Don't make me hate myself more. . .'_

They all had seen it, how the Titans ate humans.

Karine could remember it all too well. The worst way she had seen a Titan eat someone was when they re-took Trost. They were bitten in half, and she meant, half : half of their torso, half of their head, one leg and one arm. . . And then they were just thrown away, as if the Titan hadn't found their taste appealing. She hadn't seen the soldier's face, but the jacket they wore still had half the badge of the cadets. She had almost retched at the stench of death alone. But now, she wanted to prevent anymore of that happening. This was it, she had made her choice long ago, and she would stand by it.

In the end those, crazy, brave few stayed. Among them was Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, Connie, Karine, Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir, Krista, and a handful of other soldiers.

Erwin looked out at those that had stayed, seeing the fire and determination in their eyes. "Can you die if you're ordered to?"

"I don't want to die!" A soldier called out.

"I see. I like the looks on your faces," Erwin smirked. "Then I welcome everyone here to the Scouting Legion! This is a true salute! Offer up your hearts!"

"Yessir!"

They saluted the Commander, standing strong and proud, despite their emotions ripping them apart inside. Erwin smiled proudly.

"You have done well to endure your fear. You are brave soldiers. You have my heartfelt respect."

* * *

_**A/N I know there wasn't much Jean X Karine in this chapter, but I have plans for the next one XD **_

_**~MidnightRaven323**_

_**Please be so kind as to answer the following questions~~~**_

_**Thoughts on Lucas?**_

_**Favorite Scene/s?**_

_**Favorite Quote/s?**_

_**What would you like to see/see more of in the next chapter?**_


End file.
